March Messy Church - Jesus in the Wilderness

Our theme today was the Temptations of Jesus in the Wilderness.

In the big hall, we had lots of games which were tests of skill, daring or choices, including the most splendid and messy obstacle course which ran the whole length of the hall and into the vestibule. There were various craft activities in the small hall all related to the theme, including making an invitation to our Easter Messy Church on 19th April.

We acted out the story of the three temptations of Jesus in our worship time – keeping the score between his choice for God and his choice for the devilish powers of darkness and cheering mightily when Jesus’ choice for God won the day!

All the children and adults had a stone which symbolised their prayer that they too would choose for God and holding their stone repeated the following prayer.

Lord, we come to you, with our messy lives.
Lord, you come to us and share in our mess.
Lord, who on the cross was messed up for us,
Help us with your love, heal this messy world.

Then we all quietly put our stones to make the shape of the cross, as a symbol of our prayer.

February's Messy Church - The Parable of the Lost Son

Another wet Saturday in our wet winter but St Mary’s Church Hall was bustling with excited families. We were telling the Jesus’ story of the Lost Son and in the big hall we had three areas to help us when we acted out the story in our worship time.

The father’s house was a gazebo full of tables laden with goodies so the families could make fruit cocktails and decorated biscuits- a truly hospitable home. In the fenced off garden there were games to play with fruit and veg. In the story the son asks the father for his inheritance and goes to seek his fortune in the world.

 

The second gazebo was a party tent with balloons, special lighting, party music and loads of shredded paper for messy partying. It is here the son loses all his money in riotous living! Then he goes to look after pigs - a wonderful messy pigsty with gloopy mess to play in and paint with. The son realises his father’s servants have a better life and more food than he does, so he goes home full of sorrow, only to be greeted lovingly by his father, who orders a celebration. The one who was lost is found!

In our worship the lost one was acted out by all the children, and their parents were friends who accompanied them on the journey to discover how much the God the Father loves his children even if they make a great mess of their lives; and of course our celebration meal followed.